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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24920857">If Not For Revenge...</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoneedsapublisher/pseuds/whoneedsapublisher'>whoneedsapublisher</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Love Live! Sunshine!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Older You</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:07:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,063</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24920857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoneedsapublisher/pseuds/whoneedsapublisher</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You Watanabe was NOT a petty person. And she was NOT bitter about Riko and Chika. So how had she ended up in this situation?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sakurauchi Riko's Mother/Watanabe You, Sakurauchi Riko/Takami Chika</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>If Not For Revenge...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">This was <em>not</em> about Chika.</p><p class="western">You repeated in her head like a mantra as she buried her face in the unfamiliar pillow and fought the urge to groan. She really, <em>really</em> didn’t want to wake up the woman next to her. It wasn’t like she was going to try to sneak out while she was asleep or anything, but as soon as she woke up, there was going to need to be a Conversation, and it was not one that You was really equipped to have right now.</p><p class="western">Maybe if she just went over all the facts this would get clearer.</p><p class="western">At some point, way back in highschool, You had been in love with her childhood friend. She could admit that to herself, at this point. It was a love that she hadn’t had to courage to follow through with, and surprise surprise, Chika hadn’t kept her love life on hold for the rest of time just to wait around in case You got brave at some point. She’d ended up going out with Riko, and like, fine. Whatever. You had been upset at the time, but she was definitely over it, okay? She’d gotten over it on that day all those years ago where Chika had proven that they were still friends, that even if she didn’t love You, she still had a place for You in her heart. That she’d still make You the same kind of stupid, selfish, risky offer that she had for Riko.</p><p class="western">Aquours ended. Highschool ended. College started. It had been <em>years</em> since this happened. You was <em>over it</em>. It wasn’t like she’d been sitting alone pining for all that time or anything! She’d had girlfriends! Sure, they’d ended up breaking up in the end, but there’d been a good reason every time, she wasn’t just halfheartedly trying to make a relationship happen just to get over Chika.</p><p class="western">So when Chika and Riko announced that they were getting engaged, and planned to go overseas to get married after college, You was happy for them. She was! Why would she be jealous <em>now</em>? Okay, maybe she was a tiny bit jealous, but she was jealous in the “I’m single and my best friend is engaged” kind of way. She just wanted <em>a </em>girlfriend, not Chika for a girlfriend.</p><p class="western">And so there had been a party, and maybe You had gotten roped into a drinking competition, and maybe she got a little drunker than she normally did and-</p><p class="western">And she just <em>happened</em> to do the thing that would be the absolute <em>perfect</em> thing to do if she was angry at Riko and Chika and wanted to get stupid, petty revenge. By coincidence.</p><p class="western">You failed to restrain her groan this time.</p><p class="western">“Mmmm…”</p><p class="western">The woman next to You stirred, and the bedsheet shifted as she turned over. “...You okay there?”</p><p class="western">“Um. I’m fine, MIss Sakurauchi.”</p><p class="western">The woman chuckled. “I think we’re past ‘Miss Sakurauchi’, hon.”</p><p class="western">You winced.</p><p class="western">Of all the crazy shit to do while drunk, she’d seriously gone and slept with Riko’s mom.</p><p class="western">The mother in question sighed heavily. “Right,” she said. “This is the part where you start to feel bad about what you’ve done, right?”</p><p class="western">You winced again.</p><p class="western">“Well…” she mumbled. “I mean…”</p><p class="western">“It’s not like we’ve having an affair, you know,” Ritsuka Sakurauchi said. “My husband has been gone for years.”</p><p class="western">“I… that’s not really what I was worried about…”</p><p class="western">“Right.” Ritsuka sighed again. “You’re worried about what my daughter will think.”</p><p class="western">“Not… exactly,” You said, sitting up but not meeting Ritsuka’s eyes.</p><p class="western">“Oh?” Ritsuka said, raising an eyebrow.</p><p class="western">“I’m just…” You said, rubbing the back of her head. “...Someone steals your first love, so you sleep with their <em>mom</em>? It’s kind of a shitty move…”</p><p class="western">“Gracious, is that why you slept with me?” Ritsuka said drily. “You had me fooled with how you couldn’t stop yourself staring down my dress.”</p><p class="western">You covered her face and groaned.</p><p class="western">“It seemed to me, at least,” Ritsuka said. “That the reason we slept together was that you were attracted to me, and I was attracted to you. Are you telling me I was wrong, and this was a petty revenge thing? And you’re not actually that attracted to me?”</p><p class="western">“No!” You said. “No, I’m not, it’s just…”</p><p class="western">“It’s just you’re worried that’s what Riko and Chika will think?”</p><p class="western">You sighed and nodded.</p><p class="western">“So… you’re worried about what my daughter will think.”</p><p class="western">You gave her a look, and Ritsuka laughed. “I don’t think you need to worry about it so much, dear,” she said. “I can’t say I imagine Riko will <em>like</em> this, but I don’t think she’ll assume something like that of you.”</p><p class="western">“I guess…” You said, looking down at her hands and twisting them together uneasily. Nothing she said was wrong, but… “It’s still kinda hard to believe she’s not gonna take it badly… especially with the timing.”</p><p class="western">“Well,” Ritsuka said. “We don’t have to tell her, you know.”</p><p class="western">You glanced up at her, surprised.</p><p class="western">“Oh, don’t give me that look,” Ritsuka said. “I know I’m not exactly in my twenties anymore, but it’s not as if I’ve never had a one night stand. And I’m sure you have as well.”</p><p class="western">“Well…” You said.</p><p class="western">“So, we can both just go our separate ways,” Ritsuka said. “You can go back to college, and I can go back to being a lonely housewife. No one has to know about last night.”</p><p class="western">She reached out a hand and laid it over You’s gently. “Unless,” she said softly. “You’re like me.”</p><p class="western">“Like you?” You asked.</p><p class="western">“Like me in that you don’t want to this end with one night,” Ritsuka said. “Like me in that you enjoyed last night, and yes, that’s including <em>before</em> we went to bed. If you’ve found someone you like to drink with, and laugh with, and, my, even to sleep with. If you’ve realized that the prospect of waking up in bed with that person again is a nice one, and if you’ve started wondering if you can convince them to stay and have breakfast with you. <em>Then</em>… things are different.”</p><p class="western">You sighed and flopped down on the pillow.</p><p class="western">“No fair,” she whined.</p><p class="western">“If you play fair all the time, you’ll never manage to raise a daughter,” Ritsuka said, chuckling. “Oh, and speaking of that.”</p><p class="western">“What?”</p><p class="western">“Do you want Riko to call you “mama” or “mother”? Mom’s taken.”</p><p class="western">“Ritsuka!”</p>
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